Calculator · if you already own
How much equity can you take out of a Florida home?
What the house is worth now, what you still owe, and what a lender will actually let you take out.
Updated August 2026
A $300,000 home bought with 20% down, at 4% a year
What the equity looks like after different lengths of ownership, and how much of it a lender would let you borrow against at an 80% ceiling:
| Held for | Worth | Still owed | Equity | Available at 80% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 years in | $337,459 | $231,780 | $105,679 | $38,187 |
| 5 years in | $364,996 | $225,302 | $139,694 | $66,695 |
| 7 years in | $394,780 | $217,890 | $176,890 | $97,934 |
| 10 years in | $444,073 | $204,722 | $239,351 | $150,536 |
| 15 years in | $540,283 | $175,909 | $364,374 | $256,317 |
Notice that the available figure lags the equity badly in the early years. That is the ceiling doing its job: the lender leaves a 20% cushion between what you owe and what the house is worth, because that cushion is what protects them if values fall.
The three ways to take it out
| What it is | When it fits | |
|---|---|---|
| HELOC | A revolving line you draw on as needed, usually at a variable rate | Staged spending — a renovation, a bridge between two purchases |
| Home equity loan | A fixed lump sum at a fixed rate, as a second mortgage | A known amount, and you want the payment fixed |
| Cash-out refinance | A new first mortgage larger than the old one; you take the difference | Only really when the new rate is not worse than your current one |
Where these numbers come from
The 80% combined loan-to-value ceiling is the common lender convention, not a legal limit — some lenders go to 85% or 90% at a higher rate. Appreciation is your assumption; no source can supply it, and if you have a recent appraisal or a broker's opinion, use that instead and work backwards. The Save Our Homes cap and the homestead exemption reset on sale under Article VII of the Florida Constitution and s. 193.155 of the Florida Statutes.
Perozo Molina Group · +1 689 680 1112 · WhatsApp +1 689 680 1112 · perozomolina.com
A real estate team at Miami New Realty, a licensed Florida real estate brokerage (licence CQ1020974), 2470 NW 102 PL Suite 107, Doral, FL 33172. This is an estimate, not a quote. The figures come from the sources named on the page this was printed from. Nothing here is tax or legal advice.